Annual Go Bowling at the Glen has a Second Successful Year!
For the second year in a row, Go Bowling served as the title sponsor for the Go Bowling at the Glen, a three-day high-speed NASCAR race, in Watkins Glen, New York. The tripleheader weekend of stock car action has become one the top-ranked stops on the NASCAR calendar each and every summer.
Go Bowling set up the “Go Bowling Fan Experience” tent again this year, featuring two full-sized, regulation bowling lanes, a green screen social media station that allows you to put yourself in Victory Lane, and the famous Go Bowling Pin Car which is currently on a tour across the United States.
Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Cole Custer and Aric Almirola made appearances at the Go Bowling Fan Display Tent over the weekend. Both drivers are sponsored by Go Bowling and participated in the race, driving their branded Ford Mustangs and creating great exposure for the Go Bowling brand as they raced around the track.
In addition to Cole and Aric’s appearances, PBA pro Kyle Troup and PWBA pro Daria Pajak were regularly at the Fan Experience Tent to interact with both racing and bowling fans alike. Kyle and Daria playfully worked off each other’s energy on stage, showing off trick shots, bowling consecutive strikes, and entering into friendly competition with each other. Either pro bowling a strike would send the crowd into a massive uproar of jeers and cheers, always causing those outside the tent to wander in and join in on the fun.
John Harbuck, President of Strike Ten Entertainment, the marketing arm of the bowling industry, weighed in on the importance of these on-site activations. "When you get somebody up on the lane and put a ball in their hands, that’s a major step to getting them to reconnect with the sport," Harbuck said. "Whatever the emotions, whatever the fun, whatever the memories are, when you put a ball in their hand, whether they roll a gutter ball or get a few pins, they reconnect with the sport. For us it sets up the opportunity for them to re-engage and come back and visit one of our member bowling centers."
The energy and enthusiasm of the campers from the 2018 Go Bowling at the Glen race inspired a new track-wide promotion for the 2019 race. Named “Show Us How You Roll”, the campers were encouraged to deck out their campsite with all things bowling with the hopes of winning the grand prize – an opportunity to sit in the pit box of Aric Almirola, driver of the #10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang for part of the race on Sunday, August 4th. The campers did not disappoint, and delighted the Go Bowling team with their creativity and commitment to the concept. The Pin Man walked around the campsites with the Go Bowling team during the judging period and was welcomed by everyone with open arms and various cries of “GO BOWLING”! It was truly a weekend to remember!